Heavenly Demon Cultivation Simulation
chapter-369

“Aren’t your sahyung and sajaes all having a hard time? If you have skills, you can show them at times like this and help everywhere… ah, maybe not all the rumors known to the public are true?”

Seol-Hwi did not respond to him. He just held the stance in silence.

Flinch.

Thanks to that, the teacher’s eyebrows rose.

When he tried to pretend and ignore it, he felt ignored. Feeling discouraged, he quietly walked next to Seol-Hwi and spoke in a whisper.

“Or is it something like that? Although you are confident about your skills, you feel embarrassed to show your true skills to others. Well… that is a smart thought.”

“…?”

“Because your master would have said the same thing. Who would call this a disciple imitating his master?”

“…!”

It was not something a disciple of Wudang would appreciate, but there was no one around to hear it.

Kik

The man scoffed and turned away. Even though he knew this was a provocation, he could not help but step forward.

He slandered not just him but his master too.

And if he did not step forward now? It would be a troublesome situation.

If he stayed silent even though his master was being criticized, it would not be good for him if this got out. After he took a couple of steps, the other person finally said,

“Give it a try.”

To be honest, for Seol-Hwi, this level of provocation was nothing. How many hardships had he come across in his past life? From the ridiculous times of having his right arm cut off, to countless more.

Compared to that, this was a comfortable one.

The eyes of the young Taoists were now on Seol-Hwi. Everyone watched as they walked away.

It had to be like this.

If even Seol-Hwi failed, there were countless people who would fail now. However, it was a dangerous waste of effort to use his skills.

And his teacher was no fool.

“Nice. Start.”

He seemed interested in this. Seol-Hwi behaved strangely to him.

Tsk

He tore the Taoist robe from around his wrist and made a suggestion to the teacher.

“In the meantime, how about this? Sparring with a cloth wrapped around the wrist.”

“…Why?”

“There will be people who fall, so it would get difficult if the higher-ups know. Everyone will recognize that there is a clear difference here.”

An odd suggestion.

But it seemed like this could appease the teacher’s dissatisfaction if he had the chance to strike Seol-Hwi. And it was not too unusual for what was requested.

Taiji Pushing Hands was a technique that involved the softness and strength of placing the hands and feet close. However, the recording officer did not like it.

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Then your Taoist will would be questioned.”

This enraged the man. This provocation was beyond what was permissible. It was an assault on his pride.

“…Fine. I accept the conditions, but I will not leave this matter to you and take it easy, understand?”

“Of course.”

Despite the warning of potential harm to Seol-Hwi, he accepted.

Meanwhile, the Taoists who were watching forgot the pain they were in. They felt a surge of elation as Seol-Hwi provoked the man, which was refreshing to them.

Of course, if Seol-Hwi pushed too far, then everything could fall apart.

This was because the Myung disciples held a higher position.

Kuak

Myung Gam made each of them tie their hands and kindly tied them together. Beneath them was the usual stance, with each pushing out from their core’s balance.

It was usually called “holding touch very lightly.”

But this felt different.

Their hands were tied to ensure they did not step back. In this way, it would not be easy to drain the opponent’s strength and attack either.

In the end, if one side won, they would have no choice but to be pushed back entirely.

“Now, start.”

At the shout, all the young people’s eyes focused, and tension also appeared in the eyes of the Myung disciple.

Shhh

For a brief moment, the disciple who moved first was the follower of Myung, his hands seeming as if pulling something. Then Seol-Hwi resisted and pulled back.

Tang!

An unexpected incident occurred that no one had ever witnessed. The resulting stiffness paralyzed the air. The moment the man tried to smile.

Puak!

Seol-Hwi threw out the first punch with his bound hand.

Thud!

In an instant, the cloth tore, and the man was sent flying backward.

“Uh…”

It was a progressive technique where one countered the opponent’s weight.

“…”

“…”

Silence engulfed the surroundings.

It was a situation where he had overcome someone ten years his senior. The young Taoists were stunned.

The skirmish between the trainees and these disagreeable people had ended. And although they wanted to cheer, they could not bring themselves to celebrate Jin Hwi’s overwhelming victory.

And then there was silence…

“… Confirm the situation.”

It was a moment that touched the heart deeply.

The man responsible for the entire ordeal was seething with rage.

“A-are you alright?”

Grrr

At his groaning sound, the others quickly went over to the fallen man to assess his condition.

“This guy, just as I’ve heard, has good skills.”

Myung Gam’s eyes narrowed as he observed Jin Hwi.

No matter how qualified he was to enter the sect, he was a newcomer without formal training. Myung Gam could not let such a man overpower one of his own. His reputation would suffer greatly.

“It isn’t that great of a skill.”

“…Woah. Look at him?”

He interpreted Seol-Hwi’s answer as more of a taunt and now felt compelled to react.

How…

This is bad.

The Taoists who were watching began to feel anxious. It was not just the overwhelming defeat that concerned them, but provoking Myung Gam was also going too far.

And that man had a strong sense of pride and could sometimes be narrow-minded as well. Challenging him was a grave error.

“Do you want to try it with me?”

Their worries became reality as Myung Gam initiated the confrontation.

Seol-Hwi simply looked at the man calmly.

“Why? Not enough? Or do you want to show off your skills once and then run away?”

Seol-Hwi laughed at the provocation and thought,

A very obvious response.

“I want to do that, but I don’t have the skills.”

“Ah?”

The eyebrows twitched as Seol-Hwi stepped back, and just when he tried to say something—

Grrr

He saw the blood flowing from Seol-Hwi’s lips.

“No… no way?”

Myung Gam was shocked.

“If I didn’t do that, how could I defeat the officer?”

Shh

With those words, Seol-Hwi sat down. His face turned pale, and blood dripped down his robe as the teacher shouted.

“Call the physician! This is a serious internal wound!”

It isn’t that serious.

Seol-Hwi thought as he pretended to faint and closed his eyes. Giving flesh and breaking a bone.

He had caught the opponent’s punch with his body without defending. As a result, his internal organs were hurt.

Even though the injury was intentional, it was quite a mess. But this was the best way to get rid of this annoying man.

Ah, so fucking annoying.

Seol-Hwi looked like a young man on the outside, but he was over 100 years old. He had now become one who could not move alone.

“Hurry up! If you aren’t careful, his blood and energy will get devastated!”

“Oh my god! What is happening now!?”

A mess.

The Taoists and teachers were all shocked. Seol-Hwi’s condition was so critical that they rushed him ahead.

“Actually, that…”

“Huh…! Seriously! What kind of happening is this!”

While the matter was being reported, the sound of the angry physician came up.

Seol-Hwi intentionally groaned.

“Guh…”

If not, he thought he might end up laughing.

A training officer who harshly punished his subordinates. If one wants to discipline him, one cannot do the usual thing. Even if they report it to the higher-ups, it will not work, and one is likely to be labeled as a rebel who does not know the meaning of being a sasuk.

So he deliberately did it. He pushed himself into a situation where he would be beaten to death. As the opponent put more force into the attack, Seol-Hwi adjusted his defense just enough to die.

Clack!

Was it a bit too harsh?

The situation unfolded as expected, but had he miscalculated? There was a slight crack in his dantian.

Thanks to this, a large amount of blood flowed back, creating a situation that seemed dangerous.

“You need to rest for at least a couple of days.”

There was no further explanation because the physician said it.

With the help of his teacher, he received shoddy treatment with acupuncture after they checked his pulse.

An old man who identified himself as Hae Gong, the physician, seemed dissatisfied with something.

With the simple treatment he had administered, he complained about the lack of resources and that the Taoist monks who brought him in had treated him poorly.

“Kuakauka… Ignorant guy… You should know that much because you are the disciple of Elder Hae Yoon.”

“…Thank you.”

Judging by how he mentioned the name of his master, it seemed Seol-Hwi had chosen the right person to manipulate.

“He was truly so deep. It was frustrating because he was so shy and unable to say anything.”

“Is that so?”

The young Taoist monk who was beaten by a teacher fell ill. Although the reality was entirely different, on the outside it appeared as if Seol-Hwi was in pain.

Maybe it was a prejudice.

It was a way of dealing with things that unconsciously made you favor them. If one planted these small notions here and there, no matter what happened in the future, some would think, ‘Taoist Jin Hwi? It cannot be him.’

My experience as a sect leader worked out well.

An action commonly referred to as politicking. The life of always having to worry about other people’s opinions in everything served as subtle hints.

“You are a lucky one. Fortunately, the vessels aren’t broken at all. Still, take care of yourself for a while.”

“Yes. I understand.”

Was he lucky? As if that would happen. The physician’s words were not wrong, but Seol-Hwi had repaired the crack in the dantian himself.

Even the minor details could be recovered in just half an hour. But that was exactly why it was a mess.

Absolutely stable for days! What if he was diagnosed with a need to rest for a few weeks, and then the next day he was seen perfectly fine?

He would attract unwanted attention.

Even if that were not the case, Seol-Hwi enjoyed pretending to be a patient.

It was destroyed loudly on purpose so that I could manage to get some time to gather information as needed.

A trainee who was beaten down unfairly.

People who felt the same way and sympathized with such a person would come and say various things.

A patient lying in the hospital bed was bound to be bored. But it also felt nice to be in bed with a blanket on him and under the pretense of getting some sleep because he was sick.

Even if he suddenly disappeared, would it not be alright to just say that he went out because his stomach felt sick?

Seol-Hwi’s plan up to this point was smooth.

And after a few days, Seol-Hwi learned this unexpected fact.

“An outsider entered Wudang? Of course, you should know that.”

“…!”

When he somehow heard the name of Heo Gong, who was with the Wudang members, he discovered that it was a mess.

The Wudang case, which had to be resolved, required him to know it all.